Chapter 1

Of Hydralisks and Marines

A Zergling leapt through the air, barreling towards him and he reacted instinctively, whiping his Impaler around and firing the remaining ammo into the creature, causing it to fly back out the door in a hail of spikes. As Jake looked around in the aftermath, he noticed two things. First, that there were a lot of dead Zerg around him and second, there were even more living Zerg around him. He checked his Impaler already knowing that he was out of rounds, he'd used the last clip to take down the Zergling that had leapt through the door as well as the six Hydralisks in front of him, and tried to think of a way out of this mess. The room he was in was a ten foot square with one door in the north wall and a steel table in the center of the room that was flipped on it's side, facing the door. It was behind this steel table that Jake was crouched.

"Not that it's done me much good." Jake mumbled to himself. The table was riddled with holes caused by hydra spikes, the acid on them eating through it in seconds. The only good thing about this stupid table is that they don't know exactly where I am. Thought Jake as he reviewed his options. Although it didn't stop them from just shooting blindly. Jake soon came to the conclusion that he only had one option and that wasn't really an option at all. With only one way in and out of the room, it made for a great choke point and area to hold. However it was also a death trap if you couldn't kill everything that tried to get into the room. No retreat, and with the Zerg there was no surrender. Just as Jake was realizing he was deader than the 'lings and hydras around him, a creature came through the door that was unlike anything he had ever seen.

As Zhargath slithered down the hallway he pondered over the mission given to him by his Queen. Why does mine Queen wish a human to be brought before her? What is it that this human possess that is so valuable? Zerglings and Hydralisks rushed by him as he was lost in thought, running to a door that seemed like a portal unto hell itself. Just as Zhargath came to the door a Zergling barreled into the room, only to come flying out missing the upper half of its body, followed by a hail of spikes. He commanded the Zerg forces to cease charging the room, their attacks seeming to be ineffectual. This Terran is good. Zhargath grudgingly admitted. Perhaps it is time for me to meet him. With that statement, Zhargath slithered into the room.

The creature that came though the doorway must have stood ten feet tall and had to weigh over a eight hundred pounds of pure muscle and carapace. It had two long arms that in ended in two and a half foot long, wickedly sharp scythes, a mouth that contained dozens of razor sharp teeth, and a chest that could fire dozens of foot long spikes covered in acid. It was a hydralisk.

But it was the biggest, meanest looking hydralisk that Jake had ever seen. It had slithered into the room, parting zerglings and hydralisks in its wake, and stopped just inside the room, waiting. Crap, Jake thought I'm beyond screwed now. He looked around to see what he had in the way of weapons, coming to the conclusion that it consisted of his fists, his flak pistol, and a combat knife. To hell with it. He thought, If I'm going down, then I'm going down fighting! Jake unholstered his pistol and grabbed his knife preparing to leap over the table, knowing that he would probably get skewered by either a spike or one of those wicked claws before he made it two feet.

Hold Terran. The thought intruded into his mind, leaving a slimy feeling. I was sent here on a mission to claim you for the Swarm. The Queen had heard of you and wishes you to join the ranks of the Swarm as one of her generals.

"Really? I thought she just wanted my head on platter, judging by all the forces you threw at me." Jake sniped.

You default to sarcasm because it helps you to control your fear. Intriguing but it has naught to do with my purpose here. The forces sent against you were to test your martial prowess as well as your resolve. In both of these things you have exceeded the Queen's expectations, hence the offer of immortality. The creature's thought continued to intrude into Jake's mind, bringing with it scenes of glorious power and thousands of troops at his command.

You would be second only to the Queen herself, along with the other generals. What say you Terran? Jake's mind wavered between accepting this amazing offer and continuing living, or going down in a blaze of glory and not accomplishing a damn thing.

"Alright buddy, you got yourself a deal."

Zhargath watched as the human was covered in creep so that he could be transported to the queen more effectively. The human had panicked as the creep began crawling up his legs, but once Zhargath directed it to cover his head, the Terran had stopped struggling.

This human may be strong, but it is nowhere as strong as any of the Zerg. Zhargath said to himself, Perhaps the Queen wishes a companion? No, that would be folly to assume. The Queen of Blades is no longer human for she has become the ultimate ruler of the Zerg! Even though Zhargath's words were the sentiments of all the Zerg, he still harbored some doubts about her lack of humanity.

Zhargath wandered around the Hive cluster on Mar Sara, the world he had traveled light years to to get this frail human at his Queen's behest. He was lost in thought as he circled the cluster when a Zergling appeared next to him, chittering for his attention.

What is it little one? As Zhargath spoke to the Zergling, he probed it's mind to find the reason for it's agitation. As soon as he entered the little 'ling's mind a flood of images were shown to him, all of a large Terran force heading directly toward the Hive. All Zerg units not preparing the tranportation vessel, head to the entrance of the cluster immediatly! As he commanded the troops, Zhargath sent out an Overlord to spy on the Terran forces. Foolish Terrans, you cannot defeat me! Let us see what pitiful forces you have brought to the slaughter. As soon as the psionic thought left Zhargath's mind the Overlord came into view of the Terran forces. The amount of human's arrayed before Zhargath was innumerable it seemed. Hundreds of Marines, Firebats, and Medics, dozens of Seige Tanks, and one lone Battlecruiser that could spell the doom of the transportation ship that Zhargath was having formed directly behind him.

Zhargath shivered in both anticipation and fear at seeing the forces arrayed against him and began positioning his troops to cause the most damage.

Johnny marched forward with the rest of his platoon towards the Zerg menace, contemplating the upcoming battle. Why does my platoon have to lead the charge? He thought plaintively, I'm probably going to die today, glad I sent off that letter. At least my folks got to hear from me one last time.

"All company, halt!" The major yelled, coming to a stop at the top of a rise in the canyon path they were treading. The Zerg forces could be seen in the distance, a swarming mass of Zerglings, ready to pounce on the visors and chests of the Marines coming toward them.

"Siege Tanks! Forward!" The Siege Tanks rolled foward between the platoons of ground pounders, coming to a stop a few feet ahead of the forward line. "Siege Mode, activate!" The two legs on the side of every Siege Tank lowered to the ground and screwed in for maximum holding power. At the same time the twin 40mm cannons slide down into the top of the tank while the 120mm Arclite Siege Cannon folded into position. "Siege Tanks, aim!" The turrets of the tanks swiveled back and forth choosing optimal spots in the seething, roiling, mass of Zerglings. The turrets stopped moving and the shells loaded into the cannons with a resounding chorus of thunks.

"FIRE!"

Zhargath could feel the reverberations of the siege tank's cannon fire. He could see the arching shells through the Zergling's eyes. He could sense the coming destruction. . . . And he knew exactly how to win.

Johnny watched the shell's glorious flight through the air, the white trails flowing behind like a tail made of cloud. All of a sudden, seconds before impact, the Zergling hoard split in twain at every impact area. The shells collided with the ground causing fire and dirt to plume into the air, but there was a distinct lack of Zergling bodies. When the dust and debris cleared there were no Zerglings on the field, living or dead. The Terran forces let out a half-hearted cheer, thinking that perhaps they had forced a retreat out of the Zerg, but every veteran soldier there kept their weapons ready and stayed alert, they knew that the Zerg didn't retreat. To the Zerg there was no retreat, no surrender, and no mercy. After a few minutes, Johnny began to truly believe that the Zerg had retreated. At least until the first acid covered spine punched through his back and out his chest, protruding before his eyes. He had enough adrenaline to turn around to face the direction of the shot, only to catch three more spines in the stomach. As Johnny fell to his knees he looked at the canyon wall before him as a strange moment of clarity gripped him, giving him insight into the reason of his death. The Zerglings had been naught but a distraction allowing the unseen Hydralisk's enough time to gain the canyon walls surronding the Terran force. Johnny could see that the missing Zergling's, being faster than their Hydralisk kin, had quit the field under the cover of the shelling, only to follow their kin to the canyon walls. The last thing that Johnny saw was a particularly large Zergling soar through the air towards him, claws outstreched and mouth agape, spittle flying from it's mouth in a furious snarl.

Zhargath could feel teeth ripping into flesh, claws slicing steel and bone, and the satisfying feeling of delivering death to an inferior race. He shut his mind from the glorious battle, turning it to the task at hand. Ah, the transport is finally ready. He thought, But is the cargo? Zhargath slithered over to a large oblong object that pulsated every few seconds, as if it had a beating heart. The chyrasalis, for that is what the object was, had a shiny, carapace-like outer layer that was harder than steel and stronger than stone. Zhargath admired the creation in front of him as he pondered the unique situation. The Queen will be most pleased. I will have brought back what she desired and destroyed a large Terran force right before departure. He chuckled as he thought this, relishing in the slaughter of the puny Terrans. At that moment Zhargath could hear, feel, and see the Battlecruiser come crashing down from the combined firepower of his Hydralisks. Realizing that the Terran force was finished, Zhargath commanded his brood to return. Come my children! We must take our prize and depart from this miserable planet! With this order, Zhargath directed two Drones to carry the prized chrysalis into the transport and he moved to follow. As his brood of Zerglings, Hydralisks, and Drones piled into the giant transport, Zhargath stopped at the entrance to the transport and looked back upon the planet he was leaving behind. The sun had just begun to set behind the nearby mountains, painting the sky in reds and oranges, and Zhargath was captivated by the beauty of the sunset, stunned by it's magnificience. For a split second, time seemed to become frozen and he didn't think about killing Terrans or serving his queen, but about the amazing beauty that that sunset held. Then the moment passed, time resumed and Zhargath turned away, shaking his head at the obsurdity of his musings. He moved into the transport as the last of his brood entered, the giant living door closing behind him.

Ok, so this if my first fanfiction that I've ever published but that doesn't mean that I want anyone to hold back. Give me the lowdown and let me know what I need to improve on. Hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter!